


We Talk Too Much

by Ka5hew



Series: With Me [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Bets & Wagers, Blind Date, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff, Fratt Week 2020, Gen, Holding Hands, M/M, Matt's Socks, Movie Night, Overstimulation, Sleepy Kisses, They watch Star Wars, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, its just all fluff, just alot of fluff okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:47:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ka5hew/pseuds/Ka5hew
Summary: eventually, Foggy came to the point where he believed it was time for Matt to ‘get back out there’. In other words, he had arranged a date for him without telling anything until it was too late to stop him.AKA Matt goes on a blind date and ends up making a bet instead.
Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock, Matt Murdock & Franklin "Foggy" Nelson
Series: With Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902793
Comments: 22
Kudos: 136
Collections: Fratt Week





	1. You Know My Type

Matt had given up dating a long time ago. It was just after Karen that he decided it was best to keep relationships like that out of his life, but then, things changed. He went from hiding his identity from his closest friends to telling them _and_ half a dozen other people. He started talking more openly about his ‘other side’ with Foggy and Karen, and started to get his life back together. Just a little bit. Nevertheless, it was still something, and, eventually, Foggy came to the point where he believed it was time for Matt to ‘get back out there’. In other words, he had arranged a date for him without telling anything until it was too late to stop him.

When Matt asked Foggy whom he would be seeing that evening, he was just told it would be a surprise.

“So… I guess you could say it’s a _blind_ date?”

“Matt, please. Do _not_ make any blind jokes when you’re on the date. I may be able to forgive you for them but that’s only because I’ve known you so long.”

“I can _see_ you’re disappointed,”

“No, if you could, you would stop making them.”

They were walking back to his apartment together, Matt holding onto Foggy’s elbow. Foggy had insisted on helping him pick out a nice suit to wear that he hadn’t wore at court or wasn’t covered in bloodstains. Though he was not too keen on starting up dating again, Matt had to admit, he was curious as to who Foggy had convinced to go on a date with him.

“Can you tell me _anything_ about them?” he asked for what was probably the tenth time.

“Fine! Fine! I don’t actually know much about them; they’re a friend of Karen’s.”

“A friend of Karen’s?”

“Yeah, apparently they need some help ‘making and maintaining relationships’”

“… Do _you_ think _I_ need help ‘making and maintaining relationships’?”

“… You do _not_ want me to answer that honestly Matt, trust me.”

*-*-*

He arrived at the restaurant at exactly seven PM, crisp ironed shirt and polished shoes. He had even brought his new cane, which Karen had gotten him after he lost _another_ one in some dumpster. The restaurant wasn’t packed but there were still many couples and families eating. The smells of spices tickled Matt’s nose but other than that, all the other aromas were mouth-watering. Maybe it was because Matt was starving after a day of long cases and what he assumed would be a long night.

It was once he was seated at the table that the nerves really settled in. Sure, Matt had been on blind dates before, mostly in college (before Elektra), but that had been a long time ago, and he had been almost a completely different person back then. Like most things in Matt’s life, there was a very high chance things could go very wrong.

If things didn’t go wrong, if they actually worked out okay… Matt hadn’t thought about that. He doubted it would last long if it did. For one thing, his luck was almost as bad as Spiderman’s, and for another, he didn’t think he’d be able to hide The Devil from _another_ person. It was hard enough with Karen, especially once Elektra showed up, and to hide such a big part of him seemed dauntingly impossible.

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his thoughts by the arrival of a disturbingly familiar heartbeat. Even before the low grumbling voice greeted him with simply “Murdock”, Matt knew who it was.

“Frank.” He replied in confusion as the man seated himself across from him.

Weirdly enough, the usual smell of gunpowder and Kevlar was masked under a thick layer of cologne, and the heavy stomps of combat boots were replaced with the sound of something much lighter and presumably more formal.

“The hell are you doin’ here Red?” he asked quietly, clearly giving Matt a death stare, though he couldn’t be sure.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“’cept that’s none of your business.”

“Well, I’m here on a date, so I’d appreciate it if you left before you scare them away.”

“You sayin’ I got a scary face?”  
  


“I wouldn’t know but one can assume…”

“Well, whatever you’re assuming, you can stop, cuz turns out I’m on a date _too_ , so I guess my face aint that ‘scary’ after all.”

“You’re on a date too?” Matt asked, surprised and confusion mixing together.

“Yeah, friend of a friend.”  
  


Then it hit him.

“That friend wouldn’t happen to be Karen, would it?”

“Yeah… why’re you-“

“ _You’re Karen’s friend?!_ ” he asked, though it came across as more of a shocked statement.

“No need to sounds surprised, Murdock, I do have friends,”

“No, it’s, uhh, Karen and Foggy set me up to go on a date tonight with _Karen’s friend_ ” he explained, and he could feel a small blush filling his cheeks as he talked.

F*cking Karen. He could practically hear laughter already.

“Sh*t. so you’re telling me-“

“That they set us up with each other, yes.” 

“Sh*t.”

“Y’know, you’re taking this a lot better than I expected,”

“I’m going to f*cking kill her.”

“Guess I spoke too soon. And thanks for being the perfect example of why this was never going to work.” Matt was slightly relieved, glad that he didn’t have to concern himself over issues of hidden identities seeming as the date was probably never going to happen. No date meant nothing was gained. Gaining nothing meant nothing to loose.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” and Frank sounded pissed off.

“People like us can’t date Frank, there’s always too many complications and dangers, which is what Foggy and Karen don’t seem to understand.”

“Yeah, well, what about us? Pretty sure we’re both living in the same sh*t storm already.”

“No offence, but we’d never be able to date because you’d always go on about killing people and then we’d spend the whole time arguing.”

“How the hell am I not supposed to be offended by that?! You think I couldn’t get through a date without arguing?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Listen here, choir boy, you’re the one who always starts the stupid arguments-“

“I’m not the one basically shouting right now, you might want to keep it down.”

“Yeah? And why the hell are _you_ so calm?”

“We’re in public, Frank, and, unlike you, I know how to act in a public restaurant on a date.”

“This isn’t a date.”

“At least we can agree on something.”

“You know what Red?” Frank asked, leaning across the table, his voice challenging. “Let’s make this a deal. I take you on a date, if all goes well, you leave me to do what I gotta do.”

“And if it goes badly?” he asked, with a smirk.

“Then I’ll leave Hell’s Kitchen with their Devil who can’t finish the job to protect them.”

“Deal.”

*-*-*

The next morning, Matt walked into the office to be greeted with Foggy rushing out apologies.

“I am _so_ sorry Matt, if i’d known who she was gonna bring I would have stopped it but you know Karen –“

“It’s okay Foggy, really!”

“Wait, what? Really?”  
  


“the date wasn’t actually that bad.” It wasn’t a complete lie; being given an opportunity to prove Frank wrong was always a treat, and after hashing out a few more details of their ‘bet’, Frank even paid for dinner, though Matt was sure he did it just to annoy him.

“Did I just hear that Matt’s date with Frank went well?” Karen came out of nowhere and was definitely grinning. Matt could feel it. “Guess I was right, Foggy, you owe me $50!”

“Wait wait wait, you cant be serious? Matt? Really?” if Foggy didn’t sound so concerned, Matt could have been laughing.

“yeah, in fact, he’s taking me out again this weekend.” Once again, not a lie, but not the full truth either. Him and Frank had agreed to keep Karen and Foggy out of their little bet, mainly because Matt knew they would talk him out of it. (Well, he knew Foggy would, he wasn’t so sure about Karen anymore though, she was turning out to be the sneakiest of the three of them.)

“What?! No, Matt! He’s _The Punisher!”_

“Foggy, it’ll be fine, honestly.” He said in hopes of reassuring Foggy.

“First Elektra, now Frank, you really so have a type…”

Matt was going to retaliate that _no_ , he _didn’t_ have a type, he just wanted to prove Frank wrong and get the man out of his city, but he stopped himself. Partially because they agreed to keep it quiet, but also because it got Matt thinking; _did_ he want Frank out of the city?

There was no doubt that he (desperately) wanted to beat Frank in the bet they had made, but have The Punisher leave? He would never admit it, but having Frank in Hell’s Kitchen was…nice, and time with him, even the arguing, felt good, no matter how many punches were thrown. Blood, bruises and pain were normal around Frank; he didn’t have to hide it like he did around others.

It was the same with Elektra: no playing blind, no needing assistance, no pity. No punches were pulled, and there were _a lot_ of punches. It was freedom in some messed up sense that only those few people could understand.

And if those few people all just happened to be dangerous and attractive (not that he found Frank attractive, because that would be ridiculous) it wasn’t _his_ fault.

Maybe he _did_ have a type…

*-*-*


	2. I'll Take My Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Frank go on their date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter came into existence when i was bored at home in quarantine and remembered how much i missed laser tag.

The night of the second date came a lot quicker than Matt had anticipated. They say the more you’re dreading something, the quicker it arrives, but Matt refused to acknowledge that was true simply because that would imply that he was _scared_. He was _not_ scared. He was The Man Without Fear – he didn’t get scared for a date with The Punisher.

That being said, it did take him a ridiculously long time deciding what to wear. He kept on changing his mind, and then changing his clothes. He needed to look perfect, which meant that he needed to look good enough to throw Frank off, but so much that it looked like he cared.

God, this was turning him into a teenager.

It was just a stupid date for a stupid bet. So why were nerves attacking his stomach?

When he heard Frank’s van pull up outside, he was sat on the sofa in frustration at himself and his senseless nerves. However, the frustration vanished upon hearing the equally nervous heartbeat make its way up to his apartment.

Getting off the sofa, he hurriedly opened the door just as Frank reached it.

On any normal night, Matt might have called Frank out on how his heart rate was thundering like a freight train, but for once, he thought better of it.

“You ready to eat your words, Murdock?” Frank teased, but Matt could hear the slight crack in his confidence. Smirking slightly, Matt took hold of the elbow offered to him.

“Lead the way…”

*-*-*

“So where exactly are we going?” Matt asked as they got out of Frank’s van.

“have some patience, Red.”

“I am patient, just also curious.” It was late now and the air was cold against his face. He couldn’t tell exactly what part of the city they were in, and he didn’t really want to focus on that. Instead, he let his focus drift to the man next to him, warm and solid. Matt was still holding onto Frank’s elbow, despite both of them knowing there was no need.

“Yeah, well, curiosity killed the cat.”

“yet here I am, still alive.”

“you weren’t a year ago,” and though it was a light conversation, Matt could hear the slight anger and sadness in Frank’s voice as he said it.

Weird.

“That was temporary, and what about you, huh? Pretty sure you’ve ‘died’ more than me.”

“… and were here!”

Matt could hear the buzzing of light bulbs and the laughter and screams of children coming from inside.

“And where exactly _is_ ‘here’?” he asked, slightly confused by the picture his senses were painting for him.

“Red, welcome to laser tag!”

*-*-*

“You had to choose a date to spend _not_ arguing and you chose _laser tag_?!” Matt exclaimed, tempted to laugh at the absurdity of the decision.

“What’s wrong with laser tag?” Frank sounded a touch offended as he took Matt’s cane and glasses and put them in his bag.

“This isn’t even fair! I’ve never used a gun before and you’ve got a _huge_ advantage!”

“Careful there Red, you almost sound as though you’re arguing with me!”

“F*ck you”

Frank just chuckled in response. It was a deep, vibrating sound that Matt found he actually quiet liked.

“Don’t worry Alter Boy, we’ll be on the same team.”

“Wow – how reassuring. Just one thing – did you forget I’m _blind_?”

“Don’t act like you can’t already fight better than most people. You’ll be fine, Red, trust me.”

Weirdly enough, Matt did find himself trusting Frank, and while the weird half compliment threw him off a little, it was also nice to hear from Frank.

They walked inside, Matt avoiding any eye contact as he tried to pass off as a sighted person. This was stupid. Ridiculous. Yet Matt found himself feeling that same rush of adrenaline he got from fighting in the streets. It wasn’t exactly as rebellious as Daredevil-ing, but he doubted Foggy would ever help him get into a game of laser tag pretending to be sighted. He remembered a month or two after Foggy found out about his senses, he asked if he could drive his car. Foggy had shut him down immediately, and when Matt tried to steal his car keys, he refused to drive him to work for two weeks. He still hid his keys from Matt sometimes.

Once Frank had finished paying for the game, he grabbed Matt’s hand and led him to the waiting area. Frank holding his hand was unexpected, but not unwelcome. It should have been, Matt should have ripped his hand out of the hold as fast as he could - he couldn’t afford these small comforts in his life - but he didn’t.

 _This is just temporary, it’s just part of the bet_ , he told himself, and found that it disappointed him more than it did reassure him.

*-*-*

An instructor explained the rules before and giving them all vests with flashing targets on them and plastic guns. There were mostly teens playing, but him and Frank got paired against a small group of enthusiastic college students. Their heartbeats, loud and going fast, and the buzzing of the many, _many_ lights hit Matt’s senses unexpectedly. It was not too overwhelming, but Matt’s lack of sleep and food made the whole ordeal a little dizzying. He must have been quiet for too long, lost in the sounds and smells, because Frank asked if he was okay.

“This aint too much, is it?” he asked, almost as if he read Matt’s mind. Shifting his senses to solely focus on Frank, Matt found it was easier to keep a clear head with Frank’ sturdy heartbeat in his ears, replacing the chaos around him.

“I’m good, Frank, really” he was not going to let anything ruin this, “I’m glad you chose this. It’ll certainly be memorable.”

Glad to hear another chuckle from the man, Matt tightened his grip on the gun as they entered the arena, Frank close behind him.

*-*-*

Frank stayed behind him for most of the game, occasionally hitting his gun against the walls to help matt determine his surroundings.

“You’re like a f*king bat, with your weird echo location.”

“Yeah - maybe I should’ve called myself Batman”

“… Dolphins also use echo location.”

“I know, but ‘Dolphin Man’ doesn’t exactly have the same ring to it,”

“Ok Batman, but don’t come complaining to me when DC tries to sue you.”

“You could be Robin”

“F*ck no! Do I look like some kid in tights?”

They were, unsurprisingly, a good team. Matt was easily able to tell where their ‘enemies’ were coming from, and Frank, as always, didn’t hesitate to take them down. If he wasn’t having a lot more fun than he anticipated, Matt would have felt sorry for the college kids, who were losing considerably.

“Did you get the one behind you?”  
“Yeah, Red, I shot him like four times!”

“Sorry, they don’t exactly stay down when shot… or fall down in the first place”

“I thought you’d be able to tell I shot them from their Sighs of Defeat” there was a small buzzing noise from Frank, then “Sh*t, great, now one of them shot me. This all your fault”

“How is it _my_ fault?”

“You started talking to me!”

“We’re still wining.”

“Not the point, Red”

“Okay Lieutenant”

“Don’t call me that”

“What, you prefer just ‘Sir’?”

“Great, now you sound like that spider kid”

“What’s wrong with that? Peter’s a nice kid”

“Yeah, he’s nicer than you”

“Hey! You can’t insult me; this is supposed to be a date! “Another kid came up the ramp and Matt shot at them without bothering to look their way. It was a dark room, according to Frank, and he doubted any of the kids noticed if he was or wasn’t looking when he shot, and he doubted any of them would instantly link it to having enhanced senses. “You’re supposed to be complimenting me or something”

“And why don’t _I_ get compliments?”

“… fine, you have a very nice apartment.”

“We’re not even _in_ my apartment...and how do you even know what it looks like, you’ve never been in there!”

“I’ve been in there, just not when you’re at home”

“Why you little sh*t!”

“There’s a group of them coming up –“

“Don’t try and change the subject now,” Frank said, swiftly shooting the small group that had attempted to sneak up on them, but were now scattering back into hiding. “I wanna know how you got into my apartment,”  
  


“It’s not that hard, Frank.”

“F*cking fantastic, now I have to reinforce the place to keep _you_ out.”

“I thought the whole point of this was to get me to _come_ to your apartment, not keep me out” Matt remarked with a smirk, and was somewhat proud of himself when Frank’s heart skipped a beat before he replied.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Red.” Thankfully, the dark helped hide Matt’s face as it turned beet red. It was not so much because of the comment, but more because he realised that, yes, maybe he _would_ like that. Determined not to give that away to Frank, he cleared his throat and gestured in the direction of one of the walls next to Frank, behind which he could hear two heartbeats. Understanding immediately, they split up to take them from either side.

*-*-*

He assumed the game was almost over now. Frank had wondered off a few minutes ago ‘give Matt some independence’ and to win himself some more point by shooting more Unaware College Kids.

The Punisher playing laser tag.

The thought made Matt laugh. Unfortunately, it also distracted him as one of the Unaware College Kids came running towards him and tripped straight into Matt, making them both fall over. It was like dominoes.

“Sh*t, man, sorry” the guy apologised, but Matt wasn’t listening to a word he was saying. Suddenly, all of it had come back: the stench of sweat, the rapid heartbeats, the thundering footsteps, and the sheer exhaustion of it all. There was no more adrenaline of the fight pushing him through it, no more iron will and stubborn determination. It had all come crashing down and he could not focus; there was too much input. Especially as Matt realised that this was the only night he’d had free in the past month. Since Foggy had first mentioned he should start dating again, he had done everything to busy himself each night as to avoid it, knowing it would go south. Except it was only going that way because Matt had kept himself so busy at night, and he had actually been enjoying the date. He brought this sh*t upon himself, he knew that.

When the hand grabbed his, he flinched, but then felt the recognisable callouses, and the scars running across it, and the warm pulse hidden beneath. He knew that hand: it was Frank’s hand. The hand that had held his on the way in, the hand that was unexpected, but not unwelcome. The hand that he should have let go of, but was clinging onto like a lifeline, now more than ever. 

Maybe he needed that hand in his life, and the man that came attached, more than he realised.

“Red?! You ok, Red?” his voice was laced with concern as he helped Matt sit up.

“Frank…” Matt replied, slowly getting up onto his feet.

“Christ, don’t ever do that again Murdock.”

“Its fine now, Frank, I’m fine, just... just a little tired” he said, trying to play it off casually. Obviously, Frank saw through his lies.

“C’mon Murdock, game’s over anyways, lets go find out who won”

“We know who won.”

“Yeah, but… let’s go rub it in their faces.”

Matt gave a small grin in response and happily followed Frank out of the arena, holding onto his hand all the way. 

*-*-*

“So, how was that for a date? Good enough for your incredibly high standards Alter boy?” they were sat in the van eating fries they had gotten on the way back. It was probably past midnight and Matt, for once, was enjoying himself - that beating up criminals wasn’t fun too.

“I’d give it a pass,” he said, stuffing his mouth with more fries. “definitely unique.”

Matt could tell Frank was smiling, and suddenly, he wished he could see it, or at least feel it, like he had felt Frank’s hand, and Frank’s warm chuckle. But he had an excuse for all that: it was a date after all. For a second, he had forgotten it was all part of a bed, forgotten it would all be over – _was_ all over. He scolded at himself for wanting it to last longer.

“You good, Red? You’ve gone a little quiet.” Frank asked, and there was that tone of slight concern again.

“It’s nothing, just… I guess you win” he answered bitterly, though it came out more disappointed.

“Win? .. Oh”

“Just drop me off home, I’ll keep out of your way from now on.” And this time he sounded much colder.

Frank was quiet for a while, his heart doing a weird oscillation between rapid and slow, until finally…

“Sh*t,” Frank breathed, “No. Red, no, f*ck that.” When Matt gave him a confused look, Frank ploughed on. “F*ck the bet – it was stupid anyways… look, I liked tonight. It was fun, and … you liked it too, right?” Matt nodded, suddenly paying attention to every miniscule movement Frank made, and every minute increase in his heart rate. “Right. So… why don’t we just do it again?”  
  


“What? The laser tag?”

“What? No, I meant the date… another date.”

Matt stopped short. Was Frank saying what he thought he was?

“Are you... asking me out?”

“Christ, Murdock, _yes_. I’m askin’ you out.” Frank bit out, and Matt heard the blush rise in Frank’s cheeks, and then in his own.

“Sure.” He replied, willing his voice to work properly and grinning wider than ever. Frank returned the grin and started up the car. “Just one other thing…”

“Yeah, Red?”

“Next time, can I drive your car?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed reading! the next few chapters will probably be just different dates Matt and Frank have, though i might include more of a plot later, idk. if you have any ideas for what kind of dates they could go on, please comment and tell me, i can always use some more inspiration! :)


	3. Wait out the Plastic Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Frank decide to have a Movie night :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is quite short but i put lots of fluff to make up for it, like sooo much fluff

It had been pouring all week. Thunderstorms, rain, lighting, all of it. It was getting rather tiring. Each night they would go out as The Punisher and Daredevil, and each night they would get _soaked_. Frank was sick of it. He’d been so much happier ever since he had started dating Matt, and things worked better now that they fought together as well, but they hadn’t gotten a single chance to have another date yet. Sure, they had had dinner at Matt’s place every few nights (Frank’s place smelt too much of guns and blood apparently, he’d have to clean it), but he wanted to go outside again, _without_ getting wet.

Except Matt had the opposite idea. The rain didn’t look like it was going to stop any time soon, so he suggested a movie night.

“You sure Red?” he asked, a little surprised.

“Yeah, Foggy always narrated movies for me back in college, but we can just get one with audio descriptions if you want, I haven’t watched the new star wars films yet, and I used to like them a lot as a kid, so…” he explained, and Frank had to admit, he was cute when he was a little nervous.

“You wanna watch Star Wars?” he asked, amused.

“Peter keeps almost spoiling it for me whenever I help him out.”

“The spider kid? You wanna watch Star Wars because Spider boy keeps spoiling it?”

“I guess if you don’t want to, you can go and I can watch it with peter or foggy…”

“Hell no, Red, if we can’t go _out_ for a date, I sure as hell ain’t missing out on indoor one”

Turns out that Matt hadn’t seen any of the new Star Wars films, so they had to start from The Force Awakens, which Frank had already seen (with Lisa and Frank jr, thou he tried not to think about that right now). They didn’t bother getting the audio descriptions for the first one, Frank having seen it decided to give a go at narration.

He was terrible at it.

Matt kept on giggling at his poor attempts to explain what was going on, but that was okay, because Frank liked Matt’s giggle.

They stopped and had a break before putting on the next film, and Matt went to get some snacks, which in reality just meant he was going to get some beer. When he came back, Frank noticed he was wearing those ridiculous socks that he wore, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“What?” Matt asked, clearly having sensed something was up.

“Nothing, just… your socks”

“What’s wrong with my socks? Foggy got them for me,” he sounded slightly offended.

“Nothing’s wrong with them, just, I shoulda known you liked big comfy socks.”

“Well, I do like big comfy things,” he said with a smirk as he sat back down on the sofa and panted his feet in Frank’s lap.

Half way through the second movie, Matt’s head replaced the feet. Frank looked down at the man, admiring the soft brown, slightly red, hair, and the brown eyes that stared into space for a moment, before shutting. Frank would choose watching Matt over a movie any day.

Slowly, he brought a hand to Matt’s hair and started combing through it. Matt hummed quietly in response and leaned into the touch. Frank loved it.

The Last Jedi ended and Frank was about to put on the next movie, until he looked down again and saw that Matt had fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, Frank pressed a small, lingering kiss to his hair before turning off the TV. Gathering Matt in his arms, careful not to wake the man, Frank carried him back to the bedroom.

Frank laid him down before settling down on the other side of the bed, however, the second he laid down, Matt’s hands were immediately around his side.

Of course he had been awake.

“Y’know, you could’ve told me you were awake, save me having haul your ass back here,” he kept his voice low, the way he knew Matt liked it, and sure enough, Matt moved closer until his head was on his chest, directly above Frank’s heart. Matt smiled and placed a soft kiss before replying.

“Where’s the fun in that?”


	4. Silence is Golden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when frank goes away for a while, Matt reflects on how Frank has changed his life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isnt really a date but eh idc

Frank moving in happened slowly. It started with just his vest, and then a toothbrush, and then some shirts, and then each night, something new would appear. By the end of their first month of officially dating, Frank had basically moved everything into Matt’s apartment. However, Matt only noticed when Foggy came over one evening and pointed it out.

Apparently, Frank liked to leave his clothes all over the place, because there were hoodies and shirts all over the couch and chairs. Matt hadn’t realised that they were there, or if he had, he hadn’t paid them any attention. Their scent seemed to mix with his place, and that’s when Matt realised that _Frank’s_ scent had mixed with his place.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, but Matt was a little surprised that he hadn’t even noticed it happen.

Then, Matt was aware of everything. He started to notice the little ways Frank had embedded himself into his home, into his _life._ There were clothes in his closet that were _definitely not his_ , but he still found himself wearing. There were plates and mugs he hadn’t eaten from, the left over dinners he hadn’t cooked. There was the way he woke up next to the solid warm body of Frank, and how it felt wrong when he didn’t.

It was all so … _domestic_. It made the once cold and empty apartment feel so much more like home.

So when Frank went away for a few weeks to help his friend Curt, it was all of a sudden too quiet.

“I miss you” he said, over the phone at 4 am. Frank had just finished cleaning his guns and called Matt to check in. Matt, who had just come back from patrolling Hell’s Kitchen by himself, had picked up immediately.

“I miss you too, Matt … where’s this coming from? You’re okay, right?” Frank had a tendency to get concerned over the smallest things. Matt remembered the time he got a cold and Frank refused to let him do _anything_. The memory brought a smile to his face.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I just… miss you. Apartment feels empty.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow”

Matt smiled. Yeah- Frank would be back tomorrow, and he’d bring the feeling of home back with him.

*-*-*

Frank wasn’t back the next day. Turns out the job he was doing ran a lot deeper than they had expected, and so he was staying with Curtis a little longer.

“I could come and help” Matt suggested over the phone at breakfast.

“Nah, Red, Hell’s Kitchen needs you, I’ll be done soon,” Matt couldn’t tell if he was lying, and so he couldn’t help but worry that this would take a lot longer than he could bear.

Frank’s scent was still in the apartment, his clothes still all over the place, his guns still hidden alongside Matt’s Billy clubs and suit, but it felt dull compared to the man himself. Matt couldn’t see colours anymore, but having Frank around was the closest thing to the experience. Frank was red and yellow and orange, both a raging fire and a calming sunset. He was blues and greys, the cold metal of guns. He was never black and white, but the grey area of the world, and he wasn’t here, with Matt, like he should be, like Matt wished he was.

*-*-*

The footsteps came around 2 am. At first, he thought they were part of his dream (He was dreaming that a star had crashed into earth and he had to go and retrieve it, except the star turned out to be a woman… he would have said it was a weird dream, but it didn’t feel weird).

The, he heard the door handle rattle and he shot awake. His brain launched straight into fight mode, adrenaline rushing through him as he grabbed the closest item next to him – his alarm clock- and smashed it over the intruders head as he entered the bedroom.

“F*CK RED! IT’S ME!” apparently, the ‘intruder’ was Frank.

“Frank? What are you – you said you weren’t coming back until the weekend!”

Frank rubbed his head where Matt had attacked him as Matt put down the alarm clock.

“Yeah, we finished early… I wanted to surprise you, but –“ he didn’t get to finish what he was going to say as Matt’s lips suddenly crashed into his. Matt felt him smile into it before he pulled back. “Guess you weren’t lying when you said you missed me” Frank said as they both lay down in the bed. Matt immediately curled into Frank, tangling their legs and draping an arm across his waist. Frank, in turn, wrapped and arm around his shoulders and placed a hand in his hair. Matt traced his fingers over the scar near Frank’s hip as the marine placed a kiss into his hair.

“I really did miss you…” Matt whispered.

“I know Red… I missed you too,” Frank whispered back.

Matt smiled into Frank’s chest as he let sleep claim him again, this time knowing full and well that he was _home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow okay i don't think Ive ever posted two chapters in one day, (and i doubt it'll happen again, sorry) but yay!
> 
> —   
> Just wanted to add that I’ll be making the next part of this work into a separate piece and I will put them in a series   
> :)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i don't know when ill get another chapter of this out but i definitely have something planned. also i finally figured out how to get italics on here, so yay!


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